I like to read stories like this. It is a cute, heartwarming, sweet romantic comedy, set in a small town. I liked the plot, the characters' build, and their chemistry. A delightful read that kept me turning the pages until the end.

I can’t tell you how excited I was when THE plot twist turned out to be what I hoped it would be 🤭 I really enjoyed this read and thought it was the perfect mix of small town vibes, romance, found family and drama (!) after the initial big plot twist the story wove up and down and had me hooked till the end. The ending was so so lovely and I couldn’t stop smiling while reading and throughout the book I felt so much warmth and support for the characters and their little stories along the way. I really enjoyed the inclusion of LGBTQ+ representation and how the main character Becca was just so accepting and supportive of everyone regardless of who they were. I think the forgiveness and compassion she showed is definitely something we could all take on board in everyday life 🤲🏻 ✨ Thank you Breea, Headline Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an eARC ✨

I totally loved this story could not put it down. I love an Irish setting in a book - the idea of the small, close-knit village community and gorgeous countryside gets me every time, although I would have loved to get a better sense of the setting for this novel, outside of the cottage, and more of the villagers as well.
I look forward to next book

This was such a wholesome book! I felt so many emotions while reading & it was a very easy read! I about died when Becca met a Riley & realized he wasn’t a girl. Pap Smear & all (you gotta read the book to get this).

⭐️ Romance
⭐️ Single Dad
⭐️ Friend to Lovers
⭐️ Small Town Feel

Unfortunately this book was a dnf at 30 percent in.

It was a bad book however I just didn’t click with the plot or the FMC, she just made everything about herself and cringed when the MMC corrected his daughter by saying ‘Drew’ which was her ex boyfriends name. Like who does that! I really liked the MMC because he was standing up for himself and wasn’t putting up with her assumptions.

This one was so cute!!
The meet-cute/initial confusion was hilarious af and I couldn't stop laughing.
Beautiful Irish setting and lovable side characters!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story about two writers, Becca and Riley, that they meet on the internet, and they catch it off immediately. Riley invites Becca to Ireland for a summer writing retreat, and Becca accepts it, since she just lost her best friend and found out that she was engaged to her first love. But when Becca arrives to Ireland, there comes the so-called plot twist: Riley is not a woman, as Becca thought. After some reconsideration, she decides to stay with him while they both work on their books.
This was a light, feel-good read, perfect for the summer. Keenan’s writing style reminded me of Emily Henry’s a lot, which was a good thing. The story is really interesting, refreshing, funny and cute. Riley is super charming, and Becca is special in her own way.
What bothered me was the communication between Riley and Becca since they couldn’t talk things out. They were good at communicating and solving problems with other people, but not with each other. There were also two side characters that bothered me (Eimier and Jamie), but this only proves that the writing and the character development is good.
If I draw the line, I’d recommend it for a light summer read, especially if you like Emily Henry and/or Catherine Walsh.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc of this book!

3 and a half stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Becca, a teacher and an aspiring writer, is having a bad summer and needs something and somewhere to take her mind off things.
Her best friend, Rae, suffered a terrible accident and is now no longer here, her ex is now back in the picture and her job is falling apart. So when Riley, her author friend, invites her to the Irish countryside she decides it will be the best thing for her… even though they’ve never met before!
Happiness is never that simple, though. Riley is not who she thought and now she doesn’t know if she wants to stay in Ireland. However, is this the start of a beautiful love story or something else entirely?

I devoured this book! For fans of Emily Henry this one is definitely for you. I really enjoyed the story line and the development of Becca throughout the story. I would’ve loved to have read a little bit more about Becca’s happiness towards the end and how she has healed from her traumas but I still really enjoyed it. The characters are very lovable and I loved how Becca gained many relationships throughout the book.
Definitely recommend and will definitely love to read more from Breea in the future!

Becca Taylor is having a time! After her best friend dies unexpectedly she takes time to visit a new female friend she met online but, hasn't met in person yet. That new friend just happens to be a hunk of a man! This was a bit of a slow burn and I would have liked more of a romantic build between Becca and Riley but, what can I say? I'm always a sucker for a HEA.

I wanted to really like this and get hooked, but it sadly was rather flat and lacked a bit more chemistry and tension to make this a good read.

Did I see the plot twist coming from a mile away? Yes I did. Did I still enjoy the book anyway? Absolutely! I really felt for Becca. She is really going through a tough time. Her best friend dying and discovering that her best friend was dating (almost marrying) her hated ex? A getaway to Ireland to do some writing on her book is a good idea right?? In comes the plot twist, but it is after the plot twist that things really get interesting.
Overall this was a nice sweet romance. I felt the author did a great job with the anguish and heartbreak of losing a best friend but I felt they could have done more with the side characters.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Headline and Breea Keenan for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was pretty good, but I found it a little boring at times. My attention span had a hard time getting past chapter six at first, I'm not a huge fan of long text conversations in books, but other than that, it was a pretty solid read.

Quite sweet but wasn't blown away by it. I'll definitely keep an eye out for future books from this author but I wasn't convinced by the chemistry, mostly because it was a bit too sweet without any edge to it.

I really wanted to love it but just ended up liking this book. There were too many plot twists and side stories and not enough time spent on building a romance between Riley and Becca. It felt like a lot of the time there was a brief moment of chemistry but it was brushed away quickly so when they do finally kiss, I was surprised because I didn’t feel the build the way I usually do while reading romance. I did love Ivy and found myself laughing out loud at the parts she was in but otherwise I never really felt attached to any of the characters or their backstory.

I was provided an EARC of this book through NetGalley and the publishers for my honest review.

A bit of slow burn, but keep with it as ends up being super cute with loads of good chemistry
When Becky losses her best friend in a car accident she is totally distraught.
She is even more distraught when she discovers at her funeral,that her bets friend was dating her ex.
She needs to get away and she she receives an invitation to go to Ireland and stay with her online author friend she jumps at the chance.
They are both struggling writers and it seems the perfect solution
But is once again astounded when Riley, she discovers is a handsome man and not a woman as she thought.
She settles into the Irish way of life, they both encourage each other to work on their novels and even start their own writing retreat.
Loved the storyline and the blossoming relationship between Becca & Riley.
Had Beth O’Leary vibes about it.
A fabulous debut novel, definitely an author to keep an eye on.
Thanks @breeakeenan @headlinepg & @netgalley for the fabulous debut read

3.5 ⭐️
I think the idea was really great. I really liked the banter and all the writer talk they were doing. But the story was not well executed.
There was so much angst in one part and then abruptly, without any lead up, they would resolve the issue, and then a few pages later, the same thing would happen.
Seriously, there was no build up of tension and anticipation when they first got together. They were just talking, and then it just happened.
It felt like the author just wanted to throw in a random scene just to appease the readers.

This was a lovely read.

Following her best friend’s death, writer Becca takes up an offer to escape from her problems and stay with writer friend, Riley. Only…..Riley isn’t quite what she was expecting.

This has a wealth of emotions, shock, betrayal, friendship and a slow burning affection. What happens when a grieving and aspiring children’s writer finds herself falling for a charming and hopeless romantic? Sweet and softly simmering, this romance was a gentle look at grief, moving on and chasing dreams.

"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴."


Man.... was this book A. RIDE.

In a good way. lol

I can't give full review without giving away 1000 spoilers. But what I will say is that I did really enjoy this book.

There is a lot of uniqueness to this book. And one them is that it's like book-ception. LOL where you have writers, specifically romance writers, who are blatantly calling out things like tropes and happy ever afters.

And while this is technically a romance, it's also a LOT about finding yourself (especially after loss), navigating grief, and just overall finding your place in the world.

A huge thank you to @headlinebooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review! 😍
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #plottwist #breeakeenan #book21of2024 #whatsnikkireading #ireland #scotland #friendstolovers #griefandloss #headlinebooks #netgalley #advancedreadercopy

This was a quick read similar to an Emily Henry book, although I definitely cried more at this one. I felt Rae's death as if she were my own best friend.

The plot twist for Riley being a man and their blossoming relationship was perfectly executed and the betrayal of Drew and everything his character was involved in was a lot.

The book had a lovely ending and I really appreciated the relationship that she had with Adam by the end too.

The betrayal, the second chance, the tropes, the loss and grief through this book - it was a lot (in a good way) and I'm sure I'll still be thinking about this book for a while to come.

Plot Twist is the first novel by Scottish journalist, poet and author, Breea Keenan. Glasgow primary school teacher and aspiring children’s author, Becca Taylor is dealing with feelings of profound grief and betrayal. At her best friend Rae’s funeral, she learns that the ex-boyfriend she could never forgive had been about to marry Rae. alternating

The best way to sort out her head, Riley O’Connell suggests, is to spend the summer in a small Irish village working on their books together. Becca met Riley, a published romance author with a very full-on four-year-old, an even more impatient agent, and a bit of second-novel writer’s block, through a social media writers’ group. Impulsive, drunk-made arrangements see her on the ferry to Rathcliffe.

But when she arrives, she discovers that “Riley – the yoga-loving, long-skirted, clean-living, romance writer I’d envisaged – was not a she at all. Riley was a he. A tall, broad-shouldered, messy-dark-haired, green-eyed, athletic, manly-man.” She can’t stay, surely? But Riley counters: it’s not the nineteen forties, and there’s a spare room in Bellinder Cottage, the setting is gorgeous, and little Ivy begs her to stay.

What follows is a delightful romance that starts off predictable, then takes a few surprising turns before the obligatory happy ever after. Some well-worn romance tropes come into play: friends who become lovers, lovers who become friends, exes turning up to put a fly in the ointment, being forced to share a room, and grand gestures. An impressive debut.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Headline Publishing